iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

In my opinion, such an electoral result might end up being much more consequential than people give it credit for: Under those conditions an electoral reform as much as Scottish independence referendum would be much more likely.

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I guess part of the overall problem is similar to NHS and HE in the UK. Too many people are intrinsically motivated somewhat dampening the unattractive sides of the job, which 'delays' worst parts of the crisis and reduces incentives to intervene and dedicate sufficient policy bandwidth.

030

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

That's what makes SA so interesting (that a large section of the state population as a whole has a questionable relationship to pluralistic and liberal democracy isn't surprising). If BSW support is too limited, there might be an incentive by AfD to lure CDU dissenters.

031

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Very unlikely, societies are just too fragmented which makes it difficult to cut (authentically) across them in a lasting way. CDU might also end up in the same boat, once they face difficult choices re:working with AfD - from there it's just a short way for factions to split off.

120

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Looking at the 7 pm numbers, BSW didn't make it. Could easily end up as AfD getting 50%+1 or 2 majority in the state parliament while requiring a prop up a few months down the line. I wonder how this pans out within the CDU.

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

It retains local link, promotes a regional link while making sure it's more proportional than Westminster (normally). The system itself might be more digestible for voters with the outcomes it creates than Proportional Systems.

010

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

To be honest, the easiest would be to use the Scottish electoral system. You can vote for a constituency seat and have another go for the regional party list. Then account for the disproportionality when allocating regional seats. The SCO system promotes proportionality without going all the way.

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Resonates with my research: extreme distress and poor wellbeing is often related to the parliament's conditions as a work environment. MPs are often unequipped to be line managers (+ no mandatory training for them). Adding to this very little training is available and accessible to staffers.

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

They had a club years ago, got bankrupt since an okay night club experience in an otherwise night-dead town is very costly. And going to a cinema with just one or two movies running for about 10-15€ was also out of the question.

020

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Funnily enough, when I pointed out in one of those local politics FB forums that you would need to pay for it by frequenting those expensive places often, or at least subsidising it, they got angry. There was a whole useless debate about having a night club or cinema there.

110

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Yeah, that's not necessarily an issue by the way if the town has a very high average age. They could go but won't due to prices perceived as unreasonable. And now they complain about finger nail salons and doner restaurants.

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

This is one of the reasons why I think the lack of realism with what is possible will eventually get back to haunt people and their representatives, arguably, lots of political issues boil down to social change and if you don't acknowledge and embrace, you fail. Burnham might not last long either...

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

This is essentially the same all over Europe. Yes, there are vitalised city centres in small towns if a) the town is exceptionally wealthy or b) very tourist-y. But otherwise they have the same problems, shopping is often online due to better prices, and product range.

210

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

One may add, that the reason why they are not brought back is a) very little incentive by parties to do so (and coalition governments are far more common) and b) usually there is very little public support to bring it back.

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

To be fair, most scandals grow due to prolonged denial of wrongdoing. He did the clever thing and cut it short, by saying he didn't know but will pay up immediately. It's unlikely that this will make rounds among the non-committed electorate.

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Being (ideologically) desinterested helps in so far as it keeps your mind and options open, but it also means that you will be less motivated to dedicate substantial sources (i.e. your attention, time and energy) to it. 4/4

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

What is also underestimated is the value of desinterestedness. The more policy makers are interested and the more the issue touches relevant (relevant for you and your party) values, the less you might be swayed doing something that feels 'not right' to you. /3

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

If your staff and you yourself don't know and don't understand the evidence and - on top of it - it's neither in your portfolio and diverging to your party's line, you won't do it. /2

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Interesting take, from my research this is partly true, i.e. MPS or MSPs have far less power than people can imagine. They are lucky if they get one of their pet policies done. That said, there is also an element of genuinely 'not knowing'. /1

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

To be fair, there is a non-zero chance is that future UK General elections become even more disproportional so that the difference between disproportionately between SCO and UK elections remains comparatively the same. What I find curious is that people think SCO electoral system is proportional.

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Try to imagine if you are just on the way to join it. Even if you have publication & teaching record that would have gotten you a decent lecturer post a few years ago, there is nothing. Just keeping updated, i.e. networking, publishing, conferences, costs time & money on top of your daily job.

140

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

I am not sure the second claim has been made, it's probably more 'as long as the customer doesn't feel to be wronged, everything is alright' that makes a difference in my opinion.

110

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

There are trainings for PAs but they often have no time to attend. And on top of it, very few parliamentarians are managerial freshmen. This also leads to problems, question is whether MPs/MSPs are willing and have time enough to undergo relevant trainings beyond the bare minimum. 3/3

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Consequently, the ones working for parliamentarians often don't have much experience & don't stay for long in their role. They are only required to do the job good enough, what is more important is the widespread informal understanding of PAs to help canvassing & finding electoral opportunities. /2

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Really interesting debate 👇. That said, I am not entirely sure whether higher staff budgets or support would do the trick. From my research on Parliamentary Assistants (PAs; the guys helping MPs and MSPs), they are often selected and used in the context of wanting to get re-elected. /1

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

It's going to be a really interesting event!

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

It may be that this is more related to the UK context that this isn't discussed like that. I certainly got the impression that UK is a class-based society, way more than e.g. Germany (though Germany has other host of problems).

110

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Quite a lot of references point towards "see what other countries do" without taking considering their educational systems are embedded in a specific cultural & socio-economic context. On your point: I agree, if it doesn't suit you, why not going vocational? Also, you can study later as well.

210

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Crisis communication is not just about performance but also policy substance. It does not seem to occur to them, that this kind of confrontation was not just a coincidence but a consequence of a situation they created. Talking less hostile won't change that. 2/2

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

This is an interesting account of how crisis communication by the Trump administration fails even by the standards of their own supporters. The issue, though, is that even if the rhetoric would tune down, bad pressure and community resistance would still be there and probably increase. /1

110

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

I remember from former security forces in the last days of GDR that it was underappreciated how little desire there was among (para-)military personnel to seek confrontation even if there was an order to do engage. It may or may not happen, but receiving and following order are two separate things.

030

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

That doesn't even take into account that protests somewhere else may turn violent far more quickly. I also wonder whether other Dem governors would feel compelled to activate national guards (to protect local residents). That said, I do wonder whether it's a forgone conclusion that GOP goes along.

010

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

The "two pizza teams" originate from Amazon and are not really used anymore, if I am not mistaken. I know, that isn't the point of your critique but I think it's even problematic on its own (misguided) terms.

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Well, I guess that solves the question of how likely a coalition or even agreements to stand down in specific constituencies between Tories and Reform would be. I also wonder whether the high profile defections are really all that helpful for Reform.

020

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

From my research, I am not surprised. There's usually very little reflection on the actual reach of communication 'broadcasted' on social media. It's already an exception if people look at views or likes - more sophisticated analysis is really rare. Besides, often it's their assistants, not them.

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

If you account for prices, Glasgow is probably one of the best choices for live and work.

010

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

You can see it even in some media portrayals of Glasgow. There are areas (outside West End) which are clearly quite prosperous or even rich (there are even pockets of it in areas which are rather deprived).

161

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

I suspect the USA is not the only one with this issue (looking at the UK). I think, at heart it's the inability to manage relative decline that made things much worse - US and UK politics seem to have very similar drivers.

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

For all the chatter, I also wonder what an electoral defeat in the mid term will do to the Trump administration (and declining support in general). The idea that a coherent (and successful) foreign policy is possible under those circumstances seems fanciful.

020

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Really happy to see it finally in (pre-)print. My first solo-authored article: www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandg... The article is open access, focusing on work dynamics in parliamentarians' offices that cover political communication tasks.

cogitatiopress.com

Solo, Group, or Team Effort? Work Dynamics of Parliamentary Offices for Parliamentarians' Political Communications | Article | Politics and Governance

Sebastian Ludwicki-Ziegler

010

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

If you even consider that the descriptions provided of the order and the circumstances, servicemen should be expected to be able to understand it was criminal. But there does not seem to be any concerns about that. 3/3

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

The thing is, none of the writers to point towards criminal behaviour of this order seems to care over the criminality of following it by servicemen. If the situation was indeed as described and it constitutes a war crime - servicemen should be expected to not follow orders. /2

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Some debates are odd to me. E.g., it seems that Hegseth's order (what it exactly details and circumstances given is unclear) lead that to survivors of an attack were killed in one of those raids in the Caribbean sea. Thing is, if that was a war crime, then following order is a crime too. /1

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

I wonder who would replace Starmer and if it makes a difference. It's fairly clear that Labour is unlikely to win any popularity contest: the newest raid on Universities after going wild on migration is just one step of many to alienate their urban core vote. (SNP, Greens and Lib Dem say thank you!)

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

PR + strong two chamber system + constitution that can't be changed or ignored with a simple majority could help, but also creates other issues and is unlikely to overcome fragmentation. I would argue that it is somewhat more able to moderate the output, though. 5/5

000

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

In a way, that's what you are getting in a fragmented society and a FPTP system with very few veto players. Either radical unsustainable swings in one or the other directions or meaningless nothing for everyone leading to disappointment as a shared experience for everyone. /4

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

So whoever comes next will probably be to weak within the party to do something which pleases some of the factions because the disgruntled opposing factions will destabilise and oppose. /3

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Whoever succeeds Starmer will probably face the same difficulties as Starmer (or the Conservatives for that matter): fragmentation of their party and their electorate who seem to have at times incompatible demands and priorities (e.g., on taxation, welfare and migration). /2

100

Basti Zieg @sebaszieg.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

What I find most intriguing about the debate is that people seem to assume that by replacing Starmer something would improve (more competent etc). I would assume the most likely outcome is instability. /1

100